ISLAM HERE Edition10 2016

EID UL ADHA & THE RIGHTS OF THE ANIMAL

BEHIND THE FAILED COUP IN TURKEY

RESPECTING OUR WOMEN

US SPONSORS ISIS!

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Pg.6 Pg.2

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EPIC FAIL Fethullah Gulen

(Left) King of Saudi Arabia Salman, Custodian of the two Holy mosques of Makka & Madina (Right) King Muhammad VI, Amir al-Mumineen of Morocco

MSP_printedmedia_Islam Here_265mm x 95mm_29 July 2016.pdf 1 2016/07/14 08:26:21 AM

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EID UL ADHA

ISLAM HERE EDITION10 1437

TAZKIYYAH AMRA LOOKS AT RITUAL SLAUGHTER AND ANIMAL RIGHTS AND WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING AS MUSLIMS. This is a picture of her and her father and brothers during the Ritual Slaughter of Eid ul Adha when she was a child.

CRUELTY TO AN ANIMAL IS LIKE CRUELTY TO A HUMAN BEING

A

s Eid-ul-Adha approaches I feel an uneasiness growing inside of me. While Dhul-Hajj is easily my favourite lunar month after Ramadhaan, the day of Eid leaves me a little anguished, to put it mildly. When I was much younger, we performed the ritual slaughter at home.

My father and his cousins were meticulous in the construction of the day’s events. The sheep were housed in a pen downstairs, completely removed from the slaughtering site (the back garden) or the skinning yard (the balcony). Each animal would be brought up by itself; the children would play with it, feed it water and generally calm it down. Thereafter it would be led to the slaughtering site and would be slaughtered (quickly and without causing the animal harm) while everyone in the vicinity joined in the prayer. Only after the previous animal had been moved on to the skinning yard was the next one fetched from the pen.

It was a graceful affair.

For the past few years however, we’ve had to slaughter our sheep (and cows) at Muslim-owned commercial farms. It seems to be the norm these days. On these farms, due to the high volumes of cattle being slaughtered, things proceed somewhat mechanically. Sheep 377, sheep 378, sheep 379. It is a tense situation; for the farmers, the animals and to a lesser extent, the crowds. What (sometimes) proceeds is the cause of my anguish: unnaturally excited crowds, animals being slaughtered in view of other animals, animals becoming extremely aggressive before slaughter (no doubt because of the crowds that have gathered for the show) and a general fiasco. I hear children of 6 or 7 screaming with

delight as ‘another one bites the dust’ (how is this even normal?), farmers taking out their frustrations on the crowds and arguments ensuing between the various families waiting their turn (all of whom are trying to get their sacrifices done before lunch on the first day of the 3 days of Eid!). There is little respect for the animals and derisory understanding of the entire “zabiha” process. Last year, after a traumatic experience with the bull that we were slaughtering, I vowed never to go back.

Islam is explicit about the methods of zabiha, sacrifice and animal rights. A hadith of the messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, teaches, “Allah has commanded that everything (one does), they should do with excellence (ihsaan). When you sacrifice, sacrifice well. Sharpen your knife and make it easy for the animal to be slaughtered.” While the example of animal slaughter is illustrative of a broader lesson and principle – that is of practicing ihsaan in all that we do, it would be imprudent to overlook its inclusion. Not only are Muslims required to pronounce the name of God on animals being sacrificed to make them permissible for consumption [Qur’an 6:118], but they are also required to slaughter in a manner that would be easy for the animal. Likewise, it is considered offensive to slaughter one animal in view of another or to keep animals waiting in a queue for the slaughter.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was known to reprimand his Companions for mistreating animals and reminded them to be kind and merciful instead. A hadith declares it reprehensible to sharpen one’s knife in the presence of the animal

as this would be unmerciful towards the animal: “Do you wish to slaughter this animal twice, once by sharpening your blade in front of it and another time by cutting its throat?”

‘Ali Ibn Abi Bakr al-Marghinani, the 12th century Hanafi jurist in his compendium, the Hedaya, writes in the chapter on the lawful killing of animals for food that “everything which unnecessarily augments the pain of the animal is abominable; it is abominable to seize the animal destined for slaughter by the feet; it is abominable to break the neck of the animal whilst it is in the struggle for death; it is abominable to first throw the animal down on its side, and then to sharpen the knife (in its presence)…” It takes little consideration to appreciate that this differs vastly from the scene described above – which, no doubt, is a depiction of most, if not all, commercial farms.

T

he humanity, justice and mercy of Islam prescribed in the Qur’an and sunnah extend to all who inhabit the earth: humans, animals, birds, insects and plants, with cruelty to any one of them being sufficient reason for being cast into the fire! A hadith of the messenger likens animals to humans: “A good deed done to an animal is like a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as cruelty to a human being.” While Allah says in the Qur’an, “There is no creature on [or within] the earth or a bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you (6:38)”.

Yet despite this rich intellectual tradition that extends more than 1400 years, Muslims are largely silent on the subject of animal rights. Why do we, as a community, not raise our voices on issues that really matter? Why are we not at the forefront of the animal rights or the environmental justice movement? Why do we not go back to the moral and ethical frameworks that our texts espouse and create institutions that promote and uphold these high standards?

Tazkiyyah Amra Madina Institute Graduate

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THE EDITOR

the COLD WAR 2.0

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Editorial piece on where we stand as Muslims and the way forward.

CLEARLY OUT OF THE LOOP Barak Obama looks on, attempting to feign disinterest whilst Putin and Xi Jinping share a private joke.

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obody has suffered more from the event of 9/11 then the Muslim world community.

Overnight the Muslim community had felt and continue to feel the repercussions at every level from the seemingly benign to the loss of thousands of lives. With what political analysts and writers today are calling the ‘COLD WAR 2.0’ and the evident financial bankruptcy of the American empire to deal with China’s ascendency, we have seen an unprecedented increase in aggression from the military super power. All of this has spilt over on to the Muslim world stuck between these global tensions.

The Western oligarchs, like a rapid dog cornered enact their globalist project at full speed. Emptying out the middle of the world map (Muslims included) to structure up a wall to hold the Russians and Chinese back and maintain the hold on power already slipping from their hands. The empire is becoming thoroughly unpredictable. It is attacking on all fronts. It lost all its shame and decency.

Cold War tactics with Russia is at an all-time high.

It is now common to hear the claim that Russia “invaded” Ukraine and is “occupying” Crimea. Trying to find the “Russian threat to the Ukraine” is, as ever, a hard task. It was, of course, the US which organized the February 2014 coup which replaced the legitimate government and reduced yet another country to chaos.

This is a country that has, since the end of World War 11, “forcibly seized”, invaded, interfered in or decimated thirty three countries to 2011 – not counting Syria and Ukraine subsequently. Recently the ex-CIA Director, Michael Morell, turned Hillary Supporter via one of her consultation firms openly insinuating that the US has been taking pot-shots at Russian Military personnel on the ground in Syria to make sure that they pay the price for being there. “To make the Iranians pay a price in Syria, we need to make the Russians pay a price” he said. When asked if that meant killing Russians and Iranians, Morell fully agreed, qualifying the answer with “covertly.” “Tell the world about it, right?” He went on. “You don’t stand up at the Pentagon and say ‘we did this,’ but you make sure they know it in Moscow and Tehran.”

The chair of the State Duma Committee for Security, Irina Yarovaya, noted in comments that the situation can be described by the phrase “what active CIA agents have in their minds the retired ones speak out loud,” referring to the Russian proverb “what a sober man thinks to himself a drunk speaks out loud.”

Deena Stryker makes an excellent point in her recent essay for the NEO about the recent banning of Russian athletes at the Rio Olympic games: “Today the airways were full of talk about the possibility that Russia would be banned from taking part in the up-coming Olympic Games in Brazil, on the pretext that the IOC has ‘definitive proof’ — in the words of a spokesman — that the Putin government was complicit in the doping of its athletes going back to 2013.

Two things strike me as strange: the first is the fact that the Russian doctor and former lab head who apparently faked test results now lives in California were he heads a laboratory.

The second thing is that sports fans are less likely than other people to be up on foreign news and international politics, while they are passionate about sports news… These people are bound to make up a sizable portion of any electorate, so someone

in President Obama’s foreign policy team probably decided to target them instead of consumers of hard news. Sports fans have probably not followed the Ukraine coup, or even the NATO build up on Russia’s borders…”

“

A final attempt at empire, such as the British attempted with the Boer War here in South Africa.

“

To counter China’s economic advance, the Obama regime has implemented a policy of building economic walls at home, trade restrictions abroad and military confrontation in the South China Seas – China’s strategic trade routes. Accompanying its domestic wall, the US has been mobilizing an overseas blockade of China via its Trans-Pacific-Partnership, which proposes to exclude Beijing from participating in the ‘free trade zone’ with a dozen North America, Latin American and Asian members. Nevertheless, not a single member-nation of the TPP has cut back its trade with China. On the contrary, they are increasing ties with China. They have failed. There are too many countries that depend on China for growth. Opting for militarily alliances to confront them have also failed, the US bellicose military alliance with Japan has not intimidated China. Rather it has downgraded their domestic economies and economic influence in Asia. Doing this has deepened and expanded China’s strategic links to Russia’s energy sources and military technology. While the US spends hundreds of billions in military alliances with the backward Baltic clientregimes and the parasitical Middle Eastern state Israel, China accumulates strategic expertise from its economic ties with Germany, resources from Russia and market shares among Washington’s ‘partners’ in Asia and Latin America. There is no question that China, following the technological and productive path of Germany, will win out over the US’s economic isolationist and global militarist strategy.

This is what is happening right now. A final attempt at empire, such as the British attempted with the Boer War here in South Africa. At the final stages of empire,

after the cost of expanding South Africa from the Cape to the Zambezi meant that extension of prolonged war became untenable. Britain’s reputation suffered badly due to the concentration camps, war atrocities and its inability to defeat the 60,000 farmers. British public opinion was greatly divided over the “methods of barbarism” used to finish off a war at all costs. The Dutch. French and German heritage of the farmers and the absorption of two independent republics kept them in a diplomatic isolation that frightened the empire into a bad alliance with Japan crippling movements even further with the League of Nations forcing them to ally themselves with the new emerging world power – The United States of America. This is exactly what the US is doing now, following the footsteps of its mother empire, and making all the same mistakes toward its eventual dissolution.

It follows from this, that the dog’s last bite is its deadliest. This explains the ultra-aggressive and sloppy policy we see playing out on the world stage. Unable to move, supplant, sponsor, influence, threaten and sabotage regimes even covertly anymore.

Deadly wave upon deadly wave, Boko Haram, ISIL, Arab Spring, Coup d’état, Drone Operations, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction, The unidentifiable body of ex-CIA operative Osama Bin Laden secretly discarded to avoid independent investigations, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, we could go on and on. This last hurrah of a psychotic regime will not allow itself to go unnoticed.

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t is in this climate that we must see ourselves in, that at every step of the way they have underestimated the Muslims and our resilience.

Our love for the Deen of Islam and our Prophet, May Allah bless him and grant him peace. With the failure of the nationalist project, Arab socialism and dictatorial regimes throughout the Muslim world, Muslim monarchs still in power have begun to ask themselves with the introspection afforded those that hold real power, just why have they survived the bloodiest century known in history. When what was projected for the Middle East was an abandoning of Islam for a neo-liberal democratic American Bantustan, has actually begun to emerge in Muslim rulers with a return to the source. 9/11 and a number of terrorist attacks in Muslim lands have turned the tide. We asked if this barbaric sceptical in front us, bombarded on mainstream media regardless viewer concerns, is not Islam, then what is?

We must never forget that we are not a leaderless nation. We have with us leaders such as King Salman, Custodian of the two holy mosques of Makkah and Medina and protector of the rites of the Hajj Pilgrimage. We have with us leaders such as Amir al Mumineen HM King Muhammad VI of Morocco, with his work among the Ulama of Africa that will, insh’Allah in-turn root out the virus of Dollar sponsored-extremist ideologies hard at work lay devastation wherever China decides to invest its Billions or countries that see fit to protect their natural resources. All this at a time where politicians stumble over rocks trying not to fall on the wrong side of the financial, military and geopolitical configurations of world super powers. Our strength is in obedience to Allah and His Rasool, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. May Allah strengthen us. My Allah protect them and give both King Salman and King Muhammad success. Amin.

Nabeel Abdalhaqq

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I

n the aftermath of the Paris massacre I found myself pondering the surreal state of the world and the myriad humanitarian disasters and violations of international law infiltrating the globe. War crimes in Iraq, Gaza, Syria and Libya accompanied by air strikes, bombing raids and regime changes have become routine.

U.S. led propaganda and harsh sanctions have economically destabilized Venezuela, conceivably as a prelude to invasion. Governmental looting of pensions and savings has begun, devastating retirees and their surviving spouses while corporate moguls earn 380x more than the average wage earner. It has always been this way irrespective of ideology, theology, or philosophy.

The brutality of war and suffering are historical realities.

In distress I turn to my chosen field of psychology for answers. I am led to realize that in this geopolitical landscape, driven by the quest for political domination and exploitation of world resources, it is increasingly imperative that the layperson acquires a basic psychological comprehension of human evil, in order for any of this to make a modicum of sense.

Physicist and psychoanalyst Ian Hughes wrote: A small proportion of people who suffer from psychologically abnormal personalities have, throughout history, had an immeasurable detrimental impact on our societies, our politics and our world. Enabled by their ruthlessness to readily acquire positions of power, they have long dominated the psychologically normal majority of the world’s population. In Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason philosopher Immanuel Kant makes the claim that evil is innate to the human species. According to Kant, selfconceit is the designated egoistic trait responsible for moral corruption. An extreme propensity for evil has been referred to by psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley, in his seminal book The Mask of Sanity, as a neuropsychiatric defect which fuels the need to destroy. Cleckley’s psychological perspective identifies a measure for evil as psychopathology.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by enduring antisocial behaviour, diminished empathy and remorse, and dis-inhibited or bold behaviour. They are conscienceless and calculating, and ruthlessly driven to acquire power and control. Psychopaths command compliance and obedience so as to actualize their agendas. Accordingly, they are encouraged by the absence of critical thought, and the reliance on primitive psychological defences of those they seek to control. Moreover, research using positron emission tomography (PET) indicates that one of the primary causes of psychopathic behaviour is believed to be neurological abnormalities in the frontal lobe of the brain. Cleckley purports that psychopaths present with a visage of normalcy. According to Cleckley the psychopath has the uncanny ability to conceal this ‘neuropsychiatric defect’, stating, “they are disarming not only to those unfamiliar with such patients but often to people who know well from experience their convincing outer aspect of honesty.” We are deceived, even deluded by, the psychopath’s disguise of virtue, his glibness, ostensible calm, status, and charm.

The psychopath’s veneer of normality can be so seamless it becomes implausible to consider the

PSYCHOLOGY

THE POLITICS OF THE PSYCHOPATH

HOW TO SPOT THE PSYCHOPATHIC MACHINATIONS OF THE POLITICAL CLASS TODAY AND SAFE GAURD YOURSELF FROM IT. malevolence behind the mask, even for trained clinicians.

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olitical Ponerology, coined by psychiatrist Andrzej Łobaczewski, is the study of institutional and government systems comprised of high-ranking officials presenting with psychopathic traits. Łobaczewski’s investigations focus on government in which absolute political power is held by a psychopathic elite, and explains how an entire society can be ruled and motivated by purely pathological values. Łobaczewski emphasizes how psychopathic leaders “special psychological knowledge” of normal people enables them to manipulate and assert a hypnotic power over the masses. He explains psychopaths have studied us and their ability to use our emotions against us deteriorates our cognitive abilities.

B.F. Skinner’s work with operant conditioning tells us that what we learn is impacted by reinforcement and punishment/unpleasant consequence. A pattern of intermittent reinforcement establishes unpredictability and confusion. The psychopath capitalizes on this phenomenon. The victim’s mind scrambles in an

When gullible followers succumb to pathological influence they lose site of their critical faculties and they lose the ability to distinguish normal human behaviour from pathological.

ISLAM HERE EDITION10 1437

effort to mitigate the distress and return to internal consistency. Eventually cognitive dissonance sets in and the desperate urgency to discern a rhyme or reason becomes a driving force. At this point the duped masses are caught up in an addictive cycle and come to view the psychopathic tormentor as the redeemer. Lobaczewski contends the psychopath’s evil motivations, masked by a humane ideology, further exacerbate confusion.

The use of propaganda, distraction, and elaborate lies are instrumental in ensuring that beliefs and memories that echo the psychopathic leader’s agenda are retained, while that which doesn’t serve the psychopathic leader, are forgotten. The need to fit in, to secure a national identity further ensures compliance with this indoctrination.

According to Lobaczewski the basic ignorance and weakness to this conditioning/brainwashing guarantees that the masses will bend to the deified psychopathic leader’s will. This pathological attachment is a survival strategy, which enables dissociation from jarring reality. By disowning inconceivable truths and taking on the psychopath’s perspective, the victim wards off the threat of helplessness, and terror is mitigated.

Over time learned helplessness takes over and passive acceptance of abject criminality occurs.

Destroying the credibility and reputation of a designated target ensures the charismatic psychopath a position of power and control. By manipulating facts, disseminating ambiguous rumours (doublespeak), and calling the targeted victim’s morals into question, a nefarious narrative devoid of proper context, is created.

Triangulation is also a commonly relied upon tactic by psychopaths, designed to pit the masses against the targeted rival, in order to Divide and Conquer. Relying on confirmation bias, the tendency to interpret information so that it supports preconceptions, psychopaths dupe others into colluding in actualizing his agenda. As the designated target begins to cave under the shame of stigma and the oppression of the smear campaign, a militia of enablers will support the psychopath’s heinous agenda.

For the psychopathic leader to enforce amoral, soulless, calculated schemes, victims ripe for brainwashing are necessary. When gullible followers succumb to pathological influence they lose site of their critical faculties and they lose the ability to distinguish normal human behaviour from pathological. This supportive and compliant populace assures that the psychopathic leader will uninterruptedly carry out depraved, lawless motives. This is what leads to the propagation of macro-social evil.

To prevent such deception one must consciously curtail the reflexive deference to authority and question the motives and actions of those in power. A psychologically informed historical perspective offers proficiency with discerning patterns of fanaticism, oppression and widespread corruption. In a climate of elitism, controlled media, class disparities, pragmatism, and civil liberties violations, becoming informed about the predatory nature of the psychopath is critical to perceiving what lurks beneath the ostensibly principled demeanour of the psychopathic ruler.

Sheri Heller Psychotherapist & freelance Writer

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ISLAM

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PURIFYING THE HEART OF ‘UNJUSTIFIED’ ANGER (GHADAB)

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BY SHAYKH ‘UTHMAN DAN FODIO (RAHIM’ULLAH) 1754-1817

nger is one of the blameworthy qualities which it is forbidden to have. Allah says:

“When He put rage into the hearts of those who reject.”

The rage of the Jahiliyya (The time before Islam) was anger without any justification. Allah changed the believers by bestowing the Sakina (tranquillity of the heart) on them.

THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ANGER The reality of anger is the boiling of the blood of the heart in search of revenge. If a man is angry at someone below him, the blood expands and rises to his face and makes it red. If he is angry with someone above him, the blood contracts from its outer skin to his heart and it becomes sorrow. For that reason, he becomes pale. If he is uncertain, the blood is between contraction and expansion.

THE DEGREES OF ANGER There are three degrees of anger: 1. Insufficient (Tafrit).

2. Excessive (Ifrat).

3. Moderate (I’tidal).

INSUFFICIENT ANGER Insufficient anger is blameworthy because you are not angry enough to protest against the haram - in respect to your wife, for example, or your mother if you have no jealousy.

Jealousy was created as a protection for man. Part of this failing is to be silent when you see objectionable actions. Part of it is also to be incapable of self-discipline, since self discipline is made effective by bringing anger to bear on your

appetites, so that you are angry at yourself when it inclines to base appetites. Lack of anger is therefore blameworthy.

turns against you yourself, so you tear your own garments and slap your own face. You may hit your hand on the ground and even go beyond the behaviour of someone EXCESSIVE ANGER overwhelmed by drink. You may Excessive anger is also blameworthy. fall down and not be able to run It is to be overcome with anger so or stand through the intensity of that there is no coolness left for the your anger. It may come upon you management of the intellect and like a fainting spell. You may hit the Deen, and you no longer have animals and smash a bowl onto the insight, consideration, reflection or ground and act like a madman. You choice. Whenever the fire of anger is verbally abuse the beast and speak intense, it will blind the one who is to it, saying, “How long can I endure angry, and it will make him deaf to this from you?” as if you were every warning. It may increase until addressing a rational being. These anger penetrates to the very roots are the effects of excessive anger on of the senses to the extent that you the limbs. cannot even see. The entire world It’s effect on the heart is may become dark for you. Indeed, resentment, envy, concealing evil, the fire of anger may become so resolving to divulge secrets, and intense that it burns up the moisture other ugly things. This is the effect that gives life to the heart. The angry of excessive anger on the heart. person then dies of rage.

MODERATE ANGER Among the outward aspects of Praiseworthy anger is in moderation. excessive anger are: It is anger that waits for the Change of colour, intense shaking indication of the intellect and the in the extremities, confused speech, Deen. It arises when it is deemed foam appearing at the corners of the praiseworthy by the Shariah, and mouth, redness, and an ugly mien. it stops when it is criticised by the This is the effect of anger on the Shariah. It is the middle way which body. the messenger of Allah, may Allah As far as it’s effects on the bless him and grant him peace, tongue are concerned, it is that described when he said, “The best of you speak with insulting language, affairs is their middle.” obscenity, and ugly words which rational people are ashamed to use.

Whoever has insufficient anger must Someone who utters them in anger treat himself until his anger becomes is ashamed of them after his anger stronger. Whoever lets his anger go has abated. Theses are the effects of into excess must treat himself until excessive anger on the tongue. both of them return to the middle It’s effect on the limbs is that you way between two extremes. That is strike, tear, kill and wound if you the straight path. are in the position to do so, without any consideration. If the object of THE KNOWLEDGE CURE the anger flies from you, your anger The cure for anger consists in six

things: 1. First is to reflect on the virtues of restraining rancour, and to desire the reward for doing that.

2. The second is to frighten yourself with the punishment of Allah, saying, “The power of Allah over me is greater than my power over this man. If I carry out my anger against him, then what security will I have against the anger of Allah on the day of rising.

3. Third is to reflect and make yourself fear the results of anger in this world if you have no fear of the next world.

4. The fourth is to reflect on the ugliness of your form when you are angry. Then you will remember someone else’s form when he is angry. Reflect as well on how much you resemble a mad dog when you abandon self-restraint, and how much you resemble the awliya when you abandon your anger.

5. The fifth is to reflect on the cause that summons you to revenge.

It must be the words of Shaytan to you, “This is incapacity and humiliation for you in the eyes of the people.”

6. The sixth is to know your anger arises from your amazement of something which is acting in conformity with the will of Allah. It is almost as if Allah’s anger with you is greater than your own anger.

THE ACTION CURE As far as the action-cure is concerned, it is to say when you are angry, “I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed shaytan.” If you are standing, then sit down. If you are sitting then lie down., and do wudu’ or ghusl

PAGE6

WOMEN

ISLAM HERE EDITION10 1437

OUR DAUGHTERS, SISTERS AND MOTHERS

NATHEER MALLICK OF MADINA INSTITUTE, DISCUSES THE POSITION WOMEN HOLD IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AS UPHELD BY THE QUR’AN AND SUNNAH AND OUR RESPONSE TO IT.

W

e live in a world where, unfortunately, the status of women is often a hot topic for debate on both a macro, and micro level. Although it is an issue that has been around for quite some time, no working solution in modern society really seems to be in place. Muslims however believe that the keys to the successful growth of a society, in terms of both macro and micro contexts, are found within the Quran and Prophetic teachings. For example, we believe that women were liberated more than 1400 years ago, when the last and final testament was revealed to man.

At the time, women around the rest of the world, including Arabia actually, were pretty much enslaved, having no rights whatsoever.

In Arabia in particular, women were objectified to the point where sons would inherit their mothers when their fathers passed away, and men would bury their first born alive if they were girls. Islam came along and changed this.

Regarding the burying of daughters as was practiced by the Arabs at the time of Islam’s dawning, Allah says in the Qur’an in chapter 81, Suratut-Takwir, verses 8 and 9, (interpretation of the meaning) “When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned – For what crime she was killed.” There is also a narration of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), where he is reported to have said, (interpretation of the meaning)

“Anyone who has two daughters, and did not bury them, did not insult them, and brought them up properly, he and I will be like this,” and he is said to have raised his hand and held his middle and index fingers close

“

“And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.”

“

Qur’an 30:21

together. In another narration, a companion was sitting in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when his son came. The companion then kissed him and let him sit in his lap. His daughter then came, and he just sat her down next to him.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then reportedly said to the companion, “you did not do justice.” When the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) own daughter, Fatimah came to him, he is said

to have always stood up, kissed her, and let her sit where he had been sitting. While it might not be common practice to bury our daughters alive in today’s context, neither is treating our daughters the way the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) treated his.

A Shaykha teaching her students on Islam.

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n today’s society, women have fought for many years, and still continue to fight, for equal rights in the workplace.

There is however no law within Islam prohibiting women from working in whichever profession they choose. If we refer to verse 32 of chapter 4, SuratunNisaa, Allah says, (interpretation of the meaning) “...To men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn...” We know that whatever she earns, is for her.

For men however, we find that in terms of financial security Islam in many respects, favours women. For example, a woman leaves a marriage with whatever property she entered it with, and while she is married, anything earned, whether through work or investment, is entirely for her own enjoyment, whereas her husband earns to provide for her first, before he spends on himself. The same goes for inheritance.

The only reason a male inherits twice that of a female, is because what she inherits, is only for her, whereas he needs to use his inheritance to take care of her, and see to her financial needs. ...CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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WOMEN

OUR DAUGHTERS, SISTERS AND MOTHERS

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

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R2SRA36V0E9 Allah says in the Quran, chapter 30, verse 21, (interpretation of the meaning) “And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is also reported to have said, (interpretation of the meaning)

“

When the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) own daughter, Fatimah came to him, he is said to have always stood up, kissed her, and let her sit where he had been sitting.

“

“The most perfect in faith among the believing men is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife.” Allah has granted women certain rights over men, and a woman is to be treated according to those rights. This includes, among many others, her right to an education for example. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, (interpretation of meaning) “seeking knowledge is mandatory on every believer,” implying both male and female. In fact, one of the greatest sources of prophetic narrations, was a woman, Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), and throughout history we find that there have been many highly respected female scholars of Islam. Earlier this year, Muslim scholars around the world mourned the death of Shaykha Bahiyyah bint Haashim al-Qutbiyyah al-Filaaliyyah (may Allah grant her the highest of ranks in Jannah), who was known to be one of the most inspirational Islamic leaders of this generation. She is said to have memorized the entire Qur’an at age 14, and in 1955, enrolled herself as the only female student at the Zaytunah University in Tunisia. And

she is just one of the many examples that are to be found.

W

e also find that, in terms of a political context, the evidence is clear that there was equality between men and women. There are even narrations where we find that women not only took part in serious discussions with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but in some cases women even argued with him. In the time of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he once tried to pass a new law, and a woman in the gathering stood up and disagreed, and strengthened her argument with Prophetic teachings.

Umar’s response to this, in the presence of people, was, “a woman is right, and Umar is wrong.” We even find that in more recent world history, that certain Muslim majority countries have gone as far as to elect female heads of state, albeit that some choose to deprive women of basic rights. Even if we consider the progress that women’s rights movements have made in recent history, it was progress made on their own merit, and not as a favour from men.

If one really looks into the Islamic history more than this article would allow, it is clear that it is full of amazing stories concerning the many remarkable achievements by women, and that mistreatment of women on any level, the way we see it in modern society, from objectifying women, to depriving them of their rights to prosper in any chosen field, cannot be justified within Islamic law. It is time we as a society start learning our history, and implementing the lessons that time is trying so desperately to teach us, so that we may once again put our daughters, sisters and mothers, back onto their God given pedestal. Islam decrees this, for no reason other than it being a universal truth, and it is the only real solution to what is one of the biggest downfalls of this age.

Surely Allah’s message is clear and a proof to mankind that he is Ar Rahman, Ar Raheem.

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PAGE8

MUSLIM LEADERSHIP

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AMIR-AL-MUMINEEN H.M. KING MUHAMMAD VI COMMANDER OF THE FAITHFUL OF MOROCCO AND THE GROUND PLAN FOR REVITALISATION OF THE DEEN IN OUR TIME.

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THE FOREFATHERS

programme of implementation based solidly on the Fiqh/tradition.

ifth of his name, the previous King Muhammad was revered for securing the Moroccan independence from French colonial rule as well as his devotion to his people. He was deeply loved by his people which has, with the movement of time, reflected itself on the two following inheritors of the throne after him. His son, Hasan II, not expected to be able to fill the shoes of his father ruled for 38 years and became known for his charisma and masterful oration and wit.

In the midst of an era when monarchies in Libya, Egypt, Iraq and Iran fell to socialist and other revolutions, he prolonged the life of a 300 year old dynasty.

Having a very clear understanding of the world his kingship was surrounded by, he was a skilful ruler of a turbulent country in a troubled region for nearly four decades, he modernized and democratized Morocco as rapidly as was feasible; considering the political and social unrest fostered by extreme Islamic fundamentalist propaganda that began to lay roots in that time.

It must be understood by the reader at this point, that every ruler is faced with the difficulty of his time. Hasan II had fashioned himself for the time in which he lived. A time when a large portion of the Muslim world had abandoned the traditional boundaries of Islam for the promise of a nationalist project that it may put them on par with their colonisers complete with constitution, anthem and flag. Dictatorships sprung up in every state and were lauded over by the West as the precursor to the end of Islam in the Middle East. A project that has not ceased up to now. His reign has to be reflected upon with this in mind and what the order of the day called for. In his 1993 book ‘Memory of a King’, he admitted that 60 per cent of his decisions had been wrong. But politicians and military dictators come and go as history shows us time and again, but kings stay and are looked at under the shadow of those that came before eagerly awaiting the light to appear. There can be no blame on the predecessor. Thus self reflection is a kin to men that hold real authority whilst those that borrow authority are able to live in the denial that is afforded to them.

For us as Muslims, the role of the ruler is to uphold and protect the five pillars of Islam.

It has been the contract of every dynastic ruler up to the rightly guided. It is the divine mandate of Allah to his slaves. Enjoin the Right and Forbid the Wrong. It is when this contract is broken, that the winds of change begin to blow.

THE BAYYAH On his death on July 23rd 1999, his son, Muhammad VI received the Bayyah (pledge of allegiance) in the throne room and 7 days later his rule was announced to the rest of the world. He began his reign by continuing the with the reforms that his father had started toward the latter part of his life. The time of heavy-handedness was over. Now was the time for reconciliation and building.

King Muhammad revisited the kingdom’s Northern Province, where Hassan II quashed a revolt in 1959 and had not visited

THE MADHAB The foundations of an Islamic Community, are the Madhab; The Aqidah; the spiritual tradition of Tasawwuf and the Amir that establishes and protects the boundaries of the other three. The Madhab in most of North and West Africa is the Madhab of Imam Malik. Imam Malik, Rahimullah teacher of Imam As Shafi’I, Rahimullah, And close confidant and contemporary of Imam Abu Hanifa, Rahimullah, also lauded as the Amir al-Mumineen of Hadith

by Tirmidhi, Sahih & Muslim, was from and lived all his life in Madina. Being a Madinan, his methodology was based solely on the Amal of the ahl al Madina (the actions of the people of Madina) which is the basic foundation of all Madhabs. again after. King Muhammad paid an 11day visit to the kingdom’s poorest province, people turned out in their hundreds of thousands to hail the new king, healing the divide between the Rif and Rabat, the capital.

On August 21, Moroccans celebrated the birthday of King Mohammed VI. The occasion comes at a time of glaring contrast between the North African kingdom’s ongoing development and stability on the one hand, and the massive bloodshed wrecking the Arab world on the other. In Morocco today, there is a revolutionary new constitution, fine-tuned to the aspirations of the population. Women are on the way to achieving their due status and rights. The Arab Muslim majority population celebrates the country’s hybrid, Jewish minority and Berber heritage. Jihadist groups — even as they gain unprecedented power in Syria and Iraq and threaten Africans from Egypt to the Sahel — are hard pressed to harm the kingdom thanks to the vigilance of the Moroccan police.

Only three and a half years ago, the idea that Morocco would evolve differently than its Arab neighbours did not seem, to many observers, to be a foregone conclusion. High hopes had been placed on “Arab spring” states, then in the midst of overthrowing their rulers. But the real story of Morocco, harder for outsiders to perceive in 2011, lies in the reasons why the country bucked the revolutionary trend: King Mohammed VI had been working since the beginning of his

reign to address young people’s concerns before they had even voiced them. By the time the protests had begun, the country was well on its way to realizing freedoms and opportunities which Arabs across the region are still a generation away from attaining.

The monarch built on the legacy of his late father, Hassan II, but also broke with it — reconciling the kingdom’s traditions with the 21st century, and tackling daunting social challenges which had gone largely unaddressed.

THE IMPACT OF 9/11 As Mohammed Al Yaadi of the Ministry of Awqaf in Morocco at an in important conference in July this year in Granada, Spain put it, the project, the plan and strategy which exist in Morocco with regards to the Deen and with regards to the great role the Amir Al Mumineen, King Mohammed VI, may Allah protect him, all started in the year 2001, after the attacks in New York.

He explained further, “that heavy blow struck the awareness of whole world, but especially the consciousness of the Muslims, since they suddenly were in the centre of the international spotlight and they were attacked as prime culprits. On May 26th 2003 we also had the attacks in Casablanca, which made Morocco think and reflect; the country then took some decisions which were related to changing the method, the way to see, to teach, to present the Din of Islam, to teach it to the people of Morocco right from its root.”

THE AMIR AL MUMINEEN He went on to say that the establishment of Islam is inextricably linked to the presence of the Amir al Mumineen, standing as it were, as the custodian of the Deen in the land. Terror attacks in Morocco showed that extremist ideologies, which were always present but under the present global political climate, now had started to spread throughout the kingdom. When what most rulers would do is crack down violently against the extremists, HM the King had realised that the only way for these ideologies (such as the Khawarij-Isis/Boko Haram) to take root in the first place, is that the correct Deen was not being taught and established in the land. This needed a clear

THE AQIDAH The Aqidah of Imam Abul-Hasan AlAsh’ari, Rahimullah, emerged during the third century after Hijra. Unlike the Madhab (tradition on the implementation of the Shariah), where there can be differences of opinion, in the Aqidah there cannot be any differences of opinion. The Aqidah is the understanding of our beliefs being Muslims. The Aqidah is very clear. It is based on Quran, Sunnah, and the fatwas of the Sahaaba and Ulema after them. By it we have the correct way to understand who Allah is, what creation is, what was, what is, what always is, what will happen and what all of this relates to one another.

Without which we would all be lost and Islam as a Deen would no longer exist. The Aqidah of Ash’ari, is accepted unanimously by all Scholars of Islam as the correct understanding in Islam. The scholars of Islam all adopted this stance of Imam al Ashari on the matter after him, it was employed in this defensive manner that has been the position of Islam right up until the present age.

TASAWWUF The establishment of Islam in South Africa, and especially in Cape Town, began with the Sufi’s. Islam grew in South Africa as the country grew from the Cape to the Zambezi. So it can be established that the real legacy of Islam in South Africa is Tasawwuf and the many circles of Dhikr around the country where Muslims gather for the worship of Allah. So it is with Morocco. There is a rich history of Tasawwuf in the Maghrib that has given the Muslims in this region a great resilience. It therefore can be seen as the very tool that has strengthened Islam in Africa for over a thousand years. Tasawwuf, meaning the way of the Suf (literally ‘wool’) referring to the people of the Battle of Badr, who wore patched, woollen robes which was a sign of their poverty. It is the inward path of Islam which sole purpose is to unite the heart of the believer with Allah.

Imam al-Junayd, Rahimullah said about Tasawwuf, “It is supplication together with inward concentration, ecstasy together with attentive hearing, and action combined with compliance [with the Sunnah].” This spiritual practise was at the heart of every great Muslim nation and strengthened them.

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By the use of these as the foundations of the Muslim community, HM King Muhammad has had great success not only in the region but throughout Africa in working to uproot the extremist ideologies of the Khawarij.

As Al Yaadi continued, “Which are those critical points, these changes of views, those aspects we need to focus on in order to change that extremist thinking and exchange it for a correct thinking, to get back to the correct Deen? “

is the Imara of the believers, the figure of the Amir Al Muminin, who covers and protects the other three.

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THE WAY FORWARD At the conference Al-Yaadi put together ten points which HM King Muhammad had identified and established to strengthen since 2003 as a ground plan for the way forward.

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The First point is complete renovation, restructuring of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. The idea behind this owes to the fact that the central plan developed in the head of the Ministry is being transmitted to all branches and to all villages throughout the whole country with great speed and clarity.

The Second point is the restructuring and reorganization of all councils of Ulama. The function of these regional councils is to bring about a spiritual security for Moroccans as well as protecting the values of the Deen for the Ummah. In Morocco these values are well-known, being four: The first is the Madhab of Imam Malik; the second is the ’Aqida of Al Ashari; the third is the Sunni Tassawuf of Al Junaid; the fourth

MUSLIM LEADERSHIP

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The Third is the qualification of the Imams and of the responsible people managing the mosques. Its aim was to create a group of well-prepared men and women to be able to teach and transmit the teachings of the Din in mosques, schools, even in prisons.

The success of this programme has received petitions from Mali, Tunisia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Chad, Niger and France, students from Netherlands, Belgium and from Germany that all want to participate in it and as a result have been working with Ulama from around the world to introduce such programmes in their countries.

The Fourth point is the establishment of an Centre for the Formation of Imams and of women with the capacity to lead in questions of the Din. This is a programme directed to the Imams who already had been in mosques (as opposed to the above-mentioned new Imams of the Centres for the Formation of Imams) in order not to have to sack them and replace them by new ones.

The Fifth point has been the establishment of a TV and a radio channel called Mohammed VI, both are dedicated to the dissemination of the Qur’an. The idea of creating these channels came about after we realized the importance of communication in helping to create an idea and a conscience in the people.

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Point number Six has been the establishment of an institution to issue Fatwas. The Amir Al Muminin realized that he had to confront the matter of the Fatwas; it could not have been left free floating, with Moroccans looking for Fatwas in the most diverse places.

No fatwa can be valid unless under an Amir, whom by his authority is able to enforce it.

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Point number Seven has been the reorganization of the structure of traditional education of the Deen in Morocco. Some subjects as well as a follow-up of the students have been added so when they now leave the traditional institutions they have acquired a grade by which they may have access to university.

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Point Eight consists in the revival and conveying new importance and validity to the grades of higher education of the Islamic universities like for example in the University of the Qarawiyyin and in Dar al Hadith in Rabat, which is considered being the mother university for the sciences of the Din, so that smaller schools may be incorporated into it.

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Point Nine caters for all Moroccan communities living outside Morocco by helping them to get access to the correct framework of the Deen.

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Point number Ten has been providing to Morocco’s neighbouring countries the opportunity to benefit from Morocco’s

experience, allowing them to learn from we have acquired through this work in Morocco. HM the King also founded a centre called Establishment of Mohammed VI for the African ‘Ulama, specifically created for ‘Ulama from African countries, which has been inaugurated one year ago. Its objective is no other that the leaders and ‘Ulama of Morocco’s neighbouring countries may benefit of our experience.

“We could say that these are the most important points or areas of work which have been established personally by the Amir al Muminin, HM the King, in order to combat or prevent extremism and to protect the children and youth of Morocco from extremism and fundamentalism. At the same they establish the values of a correct Deen, as the Middle Path, with the principles of Islam well founded, with tolerance and a correct understanding of the Deen of Islam.”

We ask Allah, Glory be to Him, to bless and protect the Amir al Mumineen, and to expand his efforts in the revitalisation of the Deen and may he have success by Allah and that all of his affairs and family are seen to and that He, Glory be to Him, surrounds him with the best of people for this work.

Insha’Allah. Amin. We call on our Ulama, to support his efforts so that we may integrate with our brothers in the North in this most important work of the Deen of Islam.

By. Nabeel Abdalhaqq

HM the King, Commander of the Faithful, donates 10,000 copies of Holy Quran to Mosques in Guinea-Bissau

PAGE10

LEADERSHIP

IN SEARCH OF TRUE LEADERSHIP PART THREE

PART THREE IN A FOUR PART RESEARCH INTO THE RULE OF MU’AWIYA, RADI’ALLAHU ANHU, AND WHY HE WAS SO SUCCESSFUL. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS NOT FOR A ROMANTIC LOOK AT HISTORY, NOR IS IT TO ENGAGE WITH THE MODEL OF GOVERNMENT, OF WHICH WE AS A COMMUNITY IN BOTH CHARACTER AND STRUCTURE ARE FAR REMOVED, BUT TO LOOK AT THE GREAT MAN HIMSELF. TO BE REMINDED NOT OF WHAT ONCE WAS, BUT THE PARTICULAR CHARACTER DESPERATELY NEEDED IN OUR LEADERSHIP OF TODAY.

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THE GOOD LISTENER

lthough Mu’awiya is said to be the first king in Islam as he himself is credited, probably posthumously, as saying, “I am the first of the kings and the last of the Khalifs,” it was a rather strange sort of kingship. He continued to receive deputations from the provinces and the tribes and consulted these assemblies as much as possible, asking for their counsel, mixing with them, and accepting their criticisms. In fact, he knew just how to allow individualism scope without letting it run rampant. He did not worry about what they said about him, saying, “I do not trouble about words as long as they do not lead to deeds,” certainly well anticipating the principle of free speech, but with responsibility for any actions to which such words might lead.

He also let people speak their piece and allowed malcontent’s to vent their bad temper. When informed of a vicious satire against him and another Arab, he said, “I know a more effective method – both of us should raise our hands to heaven to pray against our adversary!” This freedom of expression also provided a healthy brake on centralisation, as people knew that they would always have a hearing. They could always speak out against something and be assured of a hearing in the presence of the Khalif.

Deliberations between the Khalif and the Bedouin took place in the Community Mosque, where the speakers were free and unconstrained towards the Khalif. It is reported about him: “If he wanted to do something, he ‘had a look at the people,’” i.e. he consulted them. When he wanted to undertake a major decision, such as delegating Yazid as the next Khalif, he summoned such a Shura and the debate was unrestrained and very lively indeed.

TEMPERAMENT Once in Madina, he visited a house he wanted to buy and the owner, whose wits were somewhat addled, got up and chased him with a stick. Mu’awiya was amused.

In another instance, Mu’awiya had sent 500 dinars to an Ansari who thought the amount paltry. He told his son to go and throw it in the Khalif ’s face. The young man came and told Mu’awiya what he had been told to do by his father. Mu’awiya put his hand over his face and said, “Come on, obey your father, but do not be too hard on your uncle!”

The man threw the money to the ground and Mu’awiya doubled the amount. He said, “There is nothing I like better than anger I swallow by which I hope for the reward of Allah.”

He said, “Intelligence and forbearance are the best things granted to mankind. If someone is reminded, he should remember. If someone is given something, he should be thankful.

If someone is tested, he should be steadfast.

If someone is angry, he should restrain it. If someone has power over another, he should forgive. If someone does wrong, he should ask forgiveness. If someone makes a promise, he should fulfil it.”

He remarked about his fierce governor and half-brother, Ziyad, “Ziyad mastered Iraq with the sword and I mastered Iraq, Syria, the Hijaz and the Yemen with forbearance.”

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In this early vision of leadership, the Khalif has conditional rather than absolute authority as a despot would have.

him, “Ask permission for me to visit the Amir al-Mu’minin!” He put him off, so he raised his voice, saying, “I must see him! Our ties of kinship must be maintained and our property kept safe which we need more than having it taken from our possession!” Mu’awiya heard him and said, “Let him in.”

He entered and greeted him and said, “Your trustee in Madina has gone too far and has taken my land grant received from the Khalif of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which was allowed me by ‘Umar. He went to my land and claimed that he had a letter from ‘Uthman that he had given it to you. How could ‘Uthman give to you a right which was mine?” Mu’awiya said, “You left your land without cultivating it until I worked it. Then I planted 5000 palm-shoots in it. I said, ‘It is the grant of Abu Bakr and it is related that ‘Umar heard that some people sequestered some land and then left it idle and some other people came and cultivated it. He said that it belonged to the one who cultivated it.’”

He said, “By Allah, you have not spoken the truth, Mu’awiya! Give me justice!” He said, “Then I must have the Qadi, who is Fadala b.

‘Ubayd al-Ansari az-Zuraqi.”

The Qadi would not come to the Khalif and stayed in his house, saying “One comes to the arbiter.” So Mu’awiya and ‘Abdu’r-Rahman went to him and he gave them a cushion and said, “Sit down on it.”

‘Abdu’r-Rahman made his previous statement and Mu’awiya made his previous statement. Fadala thought that the statement of ‘Abdu’r-Rahman’s was right and gave judgement in his favour.

Mu’awiya said, “We accept what you have said. What is your opinion about what we have planted in it?” He said, “That was undertaken by you. If ‘Abdu’r-Rahman wishes, he can pay the price of your planting, and if he wishes, he can make you responsible for them in exchange for the price of the land.”

‘Abdu’r-Rahman said, “You have been fair!”

Another important point was the answerability of the ruler to scholars. He appointed people as Qadi who were known for their knowledge of the Shari’a. Mu’awiya himself was subject to judgement. We have the following story in the Ansab al-Ashraf of al-Baladhuri:

Then Fadala said, “Amir al-Mu’minin, is this being done to the like of the descendants of Zayd and ‘Umar?” Mu’awiya said to his gardener, “Anything he takes a liking to in our land, is his by the connection of kinship,” and he wrote to his trustee to that effect on his behalf and settled his debt and gave him the highest pension (sharaf al-’ata’). He said, “You deserve it, nephew of al-Faruq and son of the martyr.” And he gave him some money.

When ‘Abdu’r-Rahman had gone, Fadala said to Mu’awiya, “By Allah, if you had acted otherwise, he would have gone to the people of the City of Hijra and to the rest of the people and complained about you. Then what is neither good nor attractive would have occurred.” Mu’awiya said, “May Allah repay you for helping me to the truth!” Ibn Zayd left and took his money.

‘Abdu’r-Rahman b. Zayd ibn al-Khattab owned some land which was next to the land of Mu’awiya. Mu’awiya’s trustee in Madina, his client an-Nadir, took ‘Abdu’r-Rahman’s land and added it to Mu’awiya’s land and informed him of this. ‘Abdu’r-Rahman said, “I have evidence that Abu Bakr granted it to me on account of my father’s participation in the fighting at Yamama.” An-Nadir said, “This is the land-grant of the Amir alMu’minin.”

He took the dispute to Marwan b. al-Hakam and he said, “Make peace between yourselves.”

He did not like to give a definitive judgement against Mu’awiya. So ‘Abdu’rRahman b. Zayd went to Syria. When he reached Mu’awiya’s door, the doorman met him at al-Khadra’ in Damascus. He said to

There are various things to be seen in this story. First of all, when ‘Abdu’r-Rahman b. Zayd considered he had been wronged by the governor, Marwan, he felt free to go straight to the Khalif and take up the matter. Although Mu’awiya’s position was based on valid Ijtihad, realising that it was a conflict between himself and someone else, Mu’awiya empowered the Qadi to judge over him. This means that the Khalif was not above the judgement of the Shari’a.

Indeed, the Qadi would not even go to the Khalif. The Khalif had to go to the Qadi, which indicates that all were equal as far as the Shari’a was concerned, and Mu’awiya accepted this. He accepted it when the judgement went against him and even thanked the Qadi for ensuring that he did

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LEADERS ARE ANSWERABLE

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what was right. There is absolutely no sense of royal prerogative here and a complete admission that he was in the wrong and the willingness to be corrected and put right.

S

o in this early vision of leadership, the Khalif has conditional rather than absolute authority as a despot would have. Once Mu’awiya said in a khutba, “’Umar appointed me over Syria and then ‘Uthman did so after him. By Allah, I never swindled nor monopolised. Then Allah appointed me to command, and I did well sometimes and badly sometimes.” Then a man stood up and said, “O Mu’awiya!

Rather you monopolised and were bad and neither good nor just!” He said to the man, “Sit down. Why are you speaking?” They went on to exchange words with each other until Mu’awiya said, “Sit down or I will make you sit down.” At which the man exclaimed, “I will not sit down! I will go as far from you as possible!” He made to leave and Mu’awiya said, “Bring him back.” They brought him back and Mu’awiya said, “I ask Allah’s forgiveness. I saw you when you came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and greeted him and he returned the greeting to you and you were guided to him and he accepted that from you.

You became a good Muslim. We have spoken harshly to you. Tell us what you need and I will give to you and you will be satisfied.”

FEAR OF ALLAH The Companion, al-Miswar b. Makhrama visited Mu’awiya and said, “Peace be upon, you, O king!” He said, “I know better what you said. Why do you attack the Amirs?”

He replied, “I do not leave anything without criticising it.” He said, ‘Miswar! We are not innocent of wrong actions but we hope for the mercy of Allah. I am following a Shari’a of certainty in which Allah accepts the good and overlooks the evil. If I were to be given a choice between Allah and what is other than Him, I would chose Him, and then He would take care of my needs.”

He once wrote to ‘A’isha requesting some succinct advice and she wrote back, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘If anyone seeks the pleasure of people at the expense of the wrath of Allah, Allah will entrust him to them until the one who praised him becomes his critic. If anyone seeks the pleasure of Allah at the expense of people, Allah will be enough for him against them.’” He took this to heart and later said on the minbar of Damascus, “No one abandons fearfulness of Allah but that the one who praised him becomes his critic.”

One of the instructions of Mu’awiya to a new governor was: “Open your door to the people; thus you will have information from them.

You and they are equal. When you decide on a matter, express it openly to the people, and no one will expect anything or make demands on you, and you will be able to carry it out.

When you encounter your enemies, and they defeat you at the border of your territory, do not let them defeat you in its interior. If your companions need you to assist them personally, do so.” He also said, “Fear Allah and do not prefer anything to that, for there is a reward in fearing Him.” He added, “Do not tempt anyone with that to which he has no right, and do not make anyone feel hopeless regarding his rights.” This sense of duty to the people under one’s authority was important.

Mu’awiya also said when he appointed someone, “The matters most proper to be hastened are the rights of Allah.”

Taken from a discourse by

Hajja Aisha Bewley

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MOTORING

PAGE11

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

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Introducing the new digitised membership MCARD!

drivers to enjoy their vehicles and the BMW lifestyle in a safe, controlled environment with like-minded people. From performance orientated events to classic car events to family fun, there truly is much to choose from.

BMW Auto Atlantic on the 23 of July, held an event to cement their relationship with the BMW car club members as well as BMW enthusiasts throughout Cape Town. Trying to find new ways to support the efforts of the club in Cape Town, BMW Auto Atlantic launched a new additional digitised membership card called the MCARD. Through which members will receive monthly, various vouchers from Auto Atlantic, for example discounts on parts or accessories, a loaned car while your BMW is being serviced, meal vouchers and other great benefits. Once vouchers are activated and used they are removed and ready for new vouchers to be uploaded. This is a great move forward in the relationship between the Car Club and its support by the BMW brand via BMW Auto Atlantic. At the launch event more than 100 new members signed up to be a part of the club. Club membership for the BMW Car Club is R250 for a year.

The evening also showed Auto-Atlantic’s support for other projects and brand enthusiasts. William, a paraplegic man who’s only dream was to drive a BMW, had his requests denied wherever he went to was finally heard by Auto Atlantic’s Bradley Mader, the new vehicle’s sales manager, seen with William in the picture on the right. Inspired by William, he helped make it possible for him to fulfil his life long dream. “William is part of the BMW Auto Atlantic family” says Mader. The Auto Atlantic dealership also donated a cheque for R5000 to the Walking with Brandon project as part of the event. This in aid of helping a former Gymnast to receive the treatment he needs in order to walk again.

Nabeel Abdalhaqq

BMW Financial Services

www.bmwfinance .co.za

Model price

Deposit

No. of instalments

Interest rate

GFV

Total cost

R576 756

5.50%

36

11% linked

R348 000

R283 754

Sheer Driving Pleasure

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WORLD EVENT

ISLAM HERE EDITION10 1437

NOW THE TRUTH EMERGES:

HOW THE US FUELLED THE RISE OF ISIS IN SYRIA & IRAQ

T

he war on terror, that campaign without end launched 14 years ago by George Bush, is tying itself up in ever more grotesque contortions. On Monday the trial in London of a Swedish man, Bherlin Gildo, accused of terrorism in Syria, collapsed after it became clear British intelligence had been arming the same rebel groups the defendant was charged with supporting. The prosecution abandoned the case, apparently to avoid embarrassing the intelligence services. The defence argued that going ahead with the trial would have been an “affront to justice” when there was plenty of evidence the British state was itself providing “extensive support” to the armed Syrian opposition.

That didn’t only include the “non-lethal assistance” boasted of by the government (including body armour and military vehicles), but training, logistical support and the secret supply of “arms on a massive scale”.

Reports were cited that MI6 had cooperated with the CIA on a “rat line” of arms transfers from Libyan stockpiles to the Syrian rebels in 2012 after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Clearly, the absurdity of sending someone to prison for doing what ministers and their security officials were up to themselves became too much. But it’s only the latest of a string of such cases.

Less fortunate was a London cab driver Anis Sardar, who was given a life sentence a fortnight earlier for taking part in 2007 in resistance to the occupation of Iraq by US and British forces. Armed opposition to illegal invasion and occupation clearly doesn’t constitute terrorism or murder on most definitions, including the Geneva convention.

For the past year, US, British and other western forces have been back in Iraq, supposedly in the cause of destroying the hyper-sectarian terror group Islamic State (formerly known as al-Qaida in Iraq).

This was after Isis overran huge chunks of Iraqi and Syrian territory and proclaimed a self-styled Islamic caliphate. The campaign isn’t going well. Some Iraqis complain that the US sat on its hands while all this was going on. The Americans insist they are trying to avoid civilian casualties, and claim significant successes. Privately, officials say they don’t want to be seen hammering Sunni strongholds in a sectarian war and risk upsetting their Sunni allies in the Gulf.

A revealing light on how we got here has now been shone by a recently declassified secret US intelligence report, written in August 2012, which uncannily predicts – and effectively welcomes – the prospect

habit of playing with jihadi groups, which then come back to bite them, goes back at least to the 1980s war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, which fostered the original al-Qaida under CIA tutelage.

of a “Salafist principality” in eastern Syria and an al-Qaida-controlled Islamic state in Syria and Iraq.

In stark contrast to western claims at the time, the Defence Intelligence Agency document identifies alQaida in Iraq (which became Isis) and fellow Salafists as the “major forces driving the insurgency in Syria” – and states that “western countries, the Gulf states and Turkey” were supporting the opposition’s efforts to take control of eastern Syria.

Raising the “possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality”, the Pentagon report goes on, “this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran)” Basically the Shia expansion into Arabia from Iran , Iraq and Syria in the north and Yemen in the south, encircling Saudi Arabia.

American forces bomb one set of rebels while backing another in Syria. Which is pretty well exactly what happened two years later. The report isn’t a policy document. It’s heavily redacted and there are ambiguities in the language. But the implications are clear enough. A year into the Syrian rebellion, the US and its allies weren’t only supporting and arming an opposition they knew to be dominated by extreme sectarian groups; they were prepared to countenance the creation of some sort of “Islamic state” – despite the “grave danger” to Iraq’s unity – as a Sunni buffer to weaken Syria.

There was no al-Qaida in Iraq until the US and Britain invaded. And the US has certainly exploited the existence of Isis against other forces in the region as part of a wider drive to maintain western control.

The calculus changed when Isis started beheading westerners and posting atrocities online, and the Gulf states are now backing other groups in the Syrian war, such as the Nusra Front. But this US and western

The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan, General William Odom recently remarked, “by any measure the U.S. has long used terrorism. In 1978-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism – in every version they produced, the lawyers said the U.S. would be in violation.” During the 1970′s the CIA used the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as a barrier, both to thwart Soviet expansion and prevent the spread of Marxist ideology among the Arab masses. The United States also openly supported Sarekat Islam against Sukarno in Indonesia, and supported the Jamaate-Islami terror group against Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in Pakistan. Last but certainly not least, there is Al Qaeda.

Lest we forget, the CIA gave birth to Osama Bin Laden and breastfed his organization during the 1980′s. Former British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, told the House of Commons that Al Qaeda was unquestionably a product of Western intelligence agencies. Mr. Cook explained that Al Qaeda, which literally means an abbreviation of “the database” in Arabic, was originally the computer database of the thousands of ‘Islamist’ extremists, who were trained by the CIA and funded by the Saudis, in order to defeat the Russians in Afghanistan. America’s relationship with Al Qaeda has always been a lovehate affair. Depending on whether a particular Al Qaeda terrorist group in a given region furthers American interests or not, the U.S. State Department either funds or aggressively targets that terrorist group.

Even as American foreign policy makers claim to oppose Muslim extremism, they knowingly foment it as a weapon of foreign policy.

In reality, US and western policy in the conflagration that is now the Middle East is in the classic mould of imperial divide-and-rule. What’s clear is that Isis and its monstrosities won’t be defeated by the same powers that brought it to Iraq and Syria in the first place, or whose open and covert war-making has fostered it in the years since. Endless western military interventions in the Middle East have brought only destruction and division. It’s the people of the region who can cure this disease – not those who incubated the virus.

By Seumas Milne & Garikai Chengu

ISLAM HERE

EDITION10

1437

FRANCE’S TAX SUBSIDY ON “GIFTS” TO ISRAELI ARMY

T

his is astounding. A senior French politician has revealed that the tax laws of France entitle a citizen to make a charitable, tax-deductible donation to the Israeli army. As the French politician Nathalie Goulet observes: “This represents a tax benefit by the French taxpayer for the benefit of a foreign army.”

Or put more bluntly still, French citizens are being encouraged through the tax system to subsidise an illegal, belligerent occupation of the Palestinians by the Israeli army. It underscores the sheer hypocrisy of the French government as it claims to be trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through “peace-making” at the United Nations. Maybe one should not be too surprised.

After all, the United States and most European countries, including the UK and France, make donations to the Jewish

GLOBAL POLICY

PAGE13

Israeli army.

On March 10, the Senator had posed a written question to the secretary of state [a junior minister] in charge of the budget, Christian Eckert, to draw his attention to the existence of tax reductions when gifts are made to the Israeli army. In her written question, Nathalie Goulet underlined that this represented “a tax benefit by the French taxpayer for the benefit of a foreign army.”

Here is the full text of the written question no. 20545 of Mrs. Nahalie Goulet:

France’s president playing to the tune of Israel National Fund tax-deductible, even though one of the JNF’s primary activities has been concealing war crimes committed by the Israeli army during the 1948 and 1967 wars: by planting and maintaining forests over more than 500 Palestinian communities that were destroyed by Israel after their inhabitants had been forcibly expelled as if they were never their.

The thickly planted pine forests not only provide year-round cover of the sites of destruction, but in the state’s early years ensured that any Palestinian refugee who managed to return to his or her village would find no place to rebuild their home.

Why are these facts not more widely known?

Both because the media make no effort to expose these abuses of taxpayers’ money, and because the rare politician who speaks out, like Goulet, is quickly terrorised back into silence.

Below is an English translation, provided

by John Whitbeck, of the original article, which can be found here: Nathalie Goulet, a Senator for the UDI [centrist] party representing the Orne [a French department], announced on Friday that she had received death threats on social networks after she expressed astonishment regarding a 60% tax reduction available to French taxpayers who make a gift to the

“Mrs. Nathalie Goulet draws the attention of the secretary of state in the Ministry of Finance in charge of the budget to the current regulation which permits French citizens who make gifts to the Israeli army (Tsahal) to deduct their gifts and give themselves a 60% tax reduction, within the limit of 20% of their taxable income. This represents a tax benefit by the French taxpayer for the benefit of a foreign army.”

The minister has not yet responded to the question of the Senator, who is also vicepresident of the foreign affairs, defence and armed forces commission of the Senate. On the other hand, Nathalie Goulet declared Friday to Agence France-Presse that she had received anonymous death threats on social networks.

Questioned Friday by Ouest-France [a prominent regional newspaper] during a visit in the Orne, the Senator refused to comment on the subject, saying: “I won’t talk about it.”

Senator Nathalie Goulet

Jonathan Cook Author of: “Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East.”

PAGE14

SPORTS

NEW CRICKET CLINIC FOR THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS

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Not Out Private Coaching has high hopes for future cricketers in Cape Town.

aadiek Davids, a former Western Province cricketer has launched a Cricket clinic just over a month ago based in the Southern Suburbs. The clinic offers one-on-one & group coaching for all age groups.

Specialising on improving technique; physical and mental aspects of the game. Sessions are of a very high standard and are tailored to the learning style and personality of each individual.

Coming from a rich cricket family background, Saadiek decided to use his experiences that he has gained through the years, to help and assist future cricketers to play the sport to their full potential. He has played the game for more than 25 years and now he is giving back to the game of cricket by coaching and seeking young potential youth. He has played provincial cricket from the age of 12 years old up to First Class for Western Province B from 2000 to 2001 seasons. Now being on the other side as a coach we asked him ‘how are things developing?”

“I am very happy with the way things are going at the clinic. More and more youngsters are joining as pre-season is kicking in. This was always a dream of mine to guide the future cricketers of South Africa. There are not many clinics in Cape Town at the moment where coaches focus on technique, physical and mental aspects. Not Out Private Coaching believes that ‘Consistency is

Key!’ And therefore training is highly important, especially in Cricket. The more you train, the better chance you have to be more consistent in scoring runs and taking wickets week in and week out, and we are here to provide that platform to the youth of Cape Town.”

“For me, there was always a need in the community where private coaching only took place at club level. When you play provincial level cricket, you have the luxury of extra private coaching sessions. Now, there is a clinic where the amateur cricketer can have those same coaching sessions in training towards school trials and provincial cricket. You can be physically and mentally prepared for the big stage now, this is what we offer at our clinic.

Everyone is happy with the results so far which I am very pleased about.

We have a different style of coaching.

One-on-one training; groups as well as schools.”

Not Out Private coaching is at Chukker Road, Kenwyn in the Southern Suburbs.

For more information you can contact Saadiek Davids on 082 963 6443 or email him on saadiekd@gmail.com You can also go onto their Facebook page: / notoutprivatecoaching.

We wish Saadiek and his clinic all the best and may it be a successful journey.

ISLAM HERE EDITION10 1437

I S L A M H E R E

E D I T I O N 1 0

THE VASCULAR CENTRE The Vascular Centre was founded

by Dr Laura Redman, a specialist General and Vascular Surgeon. It now celebrates its 2-year Anniversary in Cape Town.

D

r Laura qualified as a medical doctor at UCT. She then went on to specialise as a General Surgeon and thereafter did a sub-speciality in Vascular Surgeon. Dr Laura completed her Masters in Medicine in Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Dr Laura has a special academic interest in vascular surgery and the less commonly treated vascular problems. She has travelled abroad visiting specialized vascular units in the USA: Yale, Stony Brook, New York, UK: Leicester, London, Europe: Bern and Germany. She wanted to bring first world protocols back to South Africa and she thus founded the Vascular Centre.

VEIN CLINIC The Vein Clinic has been established based on the Vein Clinic that Dr Laura Redman spent time in New York under the world renowned Professor Nicos Labropoulos and she uses these protocols to run the clinic.

Professor Labropoulos still works closely with Dr Redman and continuously visits her clinic.

Vein diseases have been poorly understood and managed and unfairly attributed to ageing. People with symptomatic veins, swollen legs, aching & tired legs, discoloured legs and, very importantly, wounds that do

1 4 3 7

H E A L T H

not heal may have underlying vein disease – a problem that is very readily treatable.

People with vein disease often have chronic discomfort and treating the veins has been shown to improve quality of life.

Dr Redman uses the latest surgical and non-surgical techniques to treat vein disease including minimally invasive techniques that are safe and enable patients to return to normal activities within 1-2 days. These are catheters that can be inserted into the veins, under ultrasound guidance, in a sterile fashion and have been designed to do what surgery traditionally did, but do not require hospital admission, do not need a general anaesthetic, need no incisions or sutures and patients can go home the same day.

VEIN DISEASES ALSO INCLUDE PELVIC CONGESTION SYNDROME. Approximately 30% of women will see a gynaecologist for chronic pelvic pain. Of this group, 1/3 will have pelvic congestion syndrome, meaning the pain is due to ovarian veins that are not working properly and causing congestion in the pelvis. They are often associated perennial or high thigh veins. Symptoms include painful menses, painful urination or painful intercourse.

Pelvic congestion syndrome can lead to increased levels of anxiety and depression.

The problematic veins may also be found in men, when the testicular veins are affected resulting in varicocoeles. It is also very under-recognised and under-treated in South Africa.

More frequent causes of pelvic pain in women should be ruled out by a

P A G E 1 5

gynaecologist such as fibroids and endometriosis. The diagnosis can usually be made by a non-invasive investigation pelvic ultrasound. Sometimes, a CT scan is necessary. The treatment involves a minimally invasive procedure in theatre, to insert coils or similar substances into the problematic veins that cause them to seal off. This is done through a needle insertion in the groin – the same as that done for a coronary angiogram.

It is important that vein disease is managed properly and entirely. The Vascular Centre has a vein protocol, which has been developed using international guidelines and research evaluations in order to completely manage each individual patient.

It is very important to map and measure the veins in the leg and pelvis and a trained vascular technologist ensures this is done accurately. Treatment is then individualised to each patient, as many options are now available. Most importantly, Dr Redman is dedicated to giving each patient the care they need in order to feel better, look better and function better.

ARTERY DISEASE: FOCUS ON PREVENTION OPTIMISE HEALTH The other big element in vascular disease is arterial disease – this means blockages of arteries that can cause heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and amputations. 130 heart attacks and 240 strokes happen in South Africa each day. Operations for arterial disease are necessary, surgery is done at a late stage and is high risk and prevention is what is really needed to make a difference for people’s lives.

Optimise health is a holistic, individualised cardiovascular health assessment using a scientific background and up to date technology to ensure each individual can ascertain peak performance in health, body and mind to prevent or halt the development of cardiovascular disease.

The Vascular Centre offers a Healthy Heart Assessment which is a programme designed to assesses one’s current and future risk for cardiovascular disease Part of the assessment includes scanning the blood vessels, and using specialised software to measure the thickness of vessels. Many other parameters and cardiovascular risk assessments and measurements are included. There is currently no other assessment with this combination of measurements and results can be taken back to one’s GP for further optimising medical parameters. The patient is also advised on where lifestyle changes are necessary. The programme scientifically marries medicine and lifestyle in order to prevent disease and optimise health.

See more at: www.optimisehealth.co.za Limb4Life – Dr Laura has formulated a virtual multidisciplinary team to holistically manage limb problems specifically related to lymphedema, lipidemia, wounds related to arterial and venous disease and the Diabetic foot. The group includes Lymphoedmea specialists, wound care nurses, podiatrists and orthotists. The aim of the group is to work together to optimally and efficiently manage limb problems and prevent recurrence.

The Vascular Centre Laura Redman (MBChB, FCS (SA), Certificate of Vascular Surgery, MMed)

EXPERIENCING STRESS is an engineering term. It refers to the pressure or tension exerted on a material object.

Due to our modern lifestyle that term is also referred to mental or emotional strain resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Stress is a hidden force that eventually overwhelms the structure that its applying pressure on. Your body and mind works in the same way. The stress needs to be redirected and aligned PROPERLY in order to function.

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PAGE16

WORLD EVENT

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE...

LOOKING BACK AT THE FAILED MILITARY TAKE OVER IN TURKEY

F

or the past decade, the US intelligence agencies operating in Turkey have worked closely with the increasingly influential parallel government of Fethullah Gulen.

Their approach to power was, until recently, a permeationist strategy, of covertly taking over political, economic, administrative, judicial, media, military and cultural positions gradually without resort to elections or military coups.

They adopted flexible tactics, supporting and shedding different allies to eliminate rivals.

In 2010 in support of Erdogan, they played a major role in arresting and purging 300 Kemalist military officials.

Subsequently the Gulenists moved to prosecute and weaken the Erdogan regime via revelations of family corruption uncovered by their intelligence officials and publicized through its mass media outlets.

The Gulenists shared several important policies with Washington which favoured “the convergence” that led up to the July 15, 2016 coup. The Gulenists backed US-Israeli policies in the Middle East; opposed the ‘independent’ and erratic power projections of Erdogan; favoured pro-Western free market policies; accepted US relations with the Kurds; rejected any accommodation with the Russians. In other words, the Gulenists were far more reliable, dependent and subject to the dictates of EU-NATO-US policy throughout the Middle East than the Erdogan regime.

Erdogan was aware of the growing power of the Gulenists and their growing links to Washington. Erdogan moved decisively and successfully to pre-empt the Gulenist power grab by forcing a premature coup.

ERDOGAN POWER BLOC DEFEATS GULENIST PRESENCE The Gulenists were a powerful force in the Turkish state and civil society.

They had a strong presence in the civil bureaucracy; among sectors of the military, the mass media, and educational installations; and among technocrats in the financial agencies. Yet they were defeated in less than twenty-four hours, because Erdogan had several undeniable strengths.

First and foremost, Erdogan was an unmatched political leader with a strategy to retain power and a powerful active mass popular base. The Gulenists had nothing comparable. Erdogan had a superior intelligence and military command which infiltrated and undermined the Gulenists who were totally unprepared for a violent confrontation.

The Gulenists ‘permeationist’ strategy was unprepared and totally incapable of seizing power and mobilizing ‘the street’.

They lacked the cadres and organized grassroots support which Erdogan had built from the bottom-up over the previous two decades. Erdogan’s insider and outside Islamic-Nationalist strategy was far superior to the Gulenist insiderpro-US liberal strategy.

US MISCALCULATIONS IN THE COUP The Gulenists depended on US support, which totally miscalculated the relations of power and misread Erdogan’s capacity to pre-empt the coup.

The major flaw among the US advisers was their ignorance of the Turkish political equation: they underestimated Erdogan’s overwhelming party, electoral,

ISLAM HERE EDITION10 1437

Erdogan at a pro-government rally after the failed coup

and mass support. The CIA overestimated the Gulenists support in their institutional elite structures and underestimated their political isolation in Turkish society.

Moreover, the US military had no sense of the specifications of Turkish political culture – the general popular opposition to a military-bureaucratic takeover. They failed to recognize that the anti-coup forces included political parties and social movements critical of Erdogan.

The US strategists based the coup on their misreading of the military coups in Egypt, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen which ousted nationalist and Islamic civilian regimes.

E

rdogan was not vulnerable in the same way as President Mohamed Morsi (June 30, 2012 – July 3, 2013) was in Egypt; he controlled intelligence, military and mass supporters. The US-Gulenists military intelligence strategy was unplanned, uncoordinated and precipitous; Erdogan’s counter-coup forced their hand and struck decisive, sweeping blows that demoralized the entire Gulenist superstructure. Thousands of supporters fell like clay pigeons.

The US was put on the defensive; the rapid dissolution of their followers forced them to disown their allies and fall back on general, unconvincing ‘humanitarian’ and ‘security’ criticisms of Erdogan.

Their claims that the Erdogan purge would weaken the fight against ISIS had no influence in Turkey. Washington’s charges that the arrests were ‘mistreating and abusing’ prisoners had no impact.

The key political fact is that the US backed an uprising which had taken up arms and killed Erdogan loyalist military personnel and innocent unarmed civilians opposed to the coup undermined Washington’s feeble protests. In the end the US even refused refugee status and abandoned their Gulenist generals to Erdogan’s fate. Only Fethullah Gulen himself was protected from extradition by his State Department handlers.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE USGULEN COUP Washington’s failure to bring down Erdogan could have enormous repercussions throughout the Middle

East, Western Europe and the United States. Erdogan ordered seven thousand troops to encircle the strategic NATO airbase in Incirlik, Turkey, an act of intimidation threatening to undermine NATO’s major nuclear facility and operational base against Syria, Iraq, and Russia.

Turkish intelligence and cabinet officials have called into question ongoing political alliances, openly accusing the US military of treason for its role in the coup. Erdogan has moved to reconcile relations with Russia and has distanced his ties with the European Union. If Turkey downgrades its ties with NATO, the US would lose its strategic ally on the Southern flank of Russia and undermine its capacity to dominate Syria and Iraq.

Washington’s leverage in Turkey has been dramatically reduced with the decimation of the Gulenist power base in the civilian and military organizations.

Washington may have to rely on the anaemic, unstable and servile SyrizaTsipras regime in Greece to ‘anchor’ its policies in the region. The failed coup means a major retreat for Washington in the region – and a possible advance for Syria, Iran, Lebanon, and Russia.

There are two caveats to this proposition.

After Erdogan ‘completes’ the purge of Gulenists and condemns Washington, will he be willing and able to pursue a new independent policy or will he simply tighten internal control and ‘renegotiate’ a NATO agreement? Will Erdogan consolidate political control over the army or will the defeat of the Gulenists be a temporary outcome which will unleash new military factions which will destabilize the political regime?

Finally, Erdogan depends on Western finance and investment which is highly resistant to backing a regime critical of the US, the EU and NATO. If Erdogan faces economic pressures from the West can he turn elsewhere or will he, in the face of capitalist ‘realities’ retreat and submit? Erdogan, temporarily may have defeated a US coup, but history teaches us that new military, political and economic interventions are on Washington’s agenda.

James Petras